Faced with allegations of recourse to forced labor of the persecuted Uighur minority of Chinaseveral surveys Canada were launched on Thursday, this time targeting the giant Walmart, Hugo Boss and the jeans manufacturer Diesel.
And this is not the first time that groups have been targeted by investigations in Canada. Ralph Lauren, Nike and the Canadian mining company Dynasty Gold are indeed also accused of having profited from the forced labor of this Muslim minority.
The companies, which deny the charges, declined to participate in preliminary assessments of investigations by the Office of the Canadian Corporate Accountability Ombudsman.
Forced labor camps
“As mediation between the parties is not an option at this time, we will initiate investigations into the allegations outlined in the reports,” Sheri Meyerhoffer, the mediator, said in a statement.
For several years, reports from NGOs and think tanks have denounced the exploitation in China of members of the Uighur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, in fields, workshops and factories supplying raw materials or finished products. Many big names in textiles (AdidasLacoste, Gap, PumaH&M, ZaraShein etc.) are accused of profiting from this “forced labor”.
“A genocide” in progress
In February 2021, the Canadian Parliament passed a non-binding motion equating China’s treatment of its Uighur minority with “genocide”, angering Beijing.
In France, justice closed without action in April a preliminary investigation targeting clothing giants such as Uniqlo and Inditex, accused by associations of having profited from the forced labor of Uyghurs in China. A new complaint was filed in May.
As a reminder, for several years, the Chinese authorities have been accused by Western countries of having massively locked up Uyghurs in re-education and forced labor camps. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights even mentions crimes against humanity, accusations rejected by beijing which qualifies these camps as vocational training centers intended to combat religious extremism and ensure social stability.